From Irish vinyl-only label Trensmat comes Scheming Things.

Responsible – The 15 Dead Minutes, a production group comprised of producers Paul Mayhem (Dr. Skunkenstein), David Froud (Heuristic Audio), and David Campbell (Delinquent Dialect).

Although this is their first official release, T15DM are not newcomers. The group has been active for “the better part of a decade” as an exclusively live experience.

The tracks on Scheming Things do feel like live jams, and I suspect, that at least partially, they are (structurally flexible as opposed to having strictly-composed changes). The label claims to focus on “tripped-out sonics and psyche jams“; a description which applies to this release even though the music is primarily heavy dancefloor-friendly electro.

The balance of subtlety and full-on brutality is what makes the EP satisfying. This isn’t created by alternating between ambient sections and heavy drums; in fact, the tracks tend to set a high energy level and stay there, with the beat rarely dropping out.

The beauty is in how the assault of distorted drum sounds are backed up by delay feedback and well-crafted synth pads and drones that come in and out of focus throughout each track. Besides the occasional acid bassline, these sounds are what make the tracks dynamic while the drums fire away.

On Mass (one of two bonus tracks given out as MP3s to those who preordered the record) this becomes quite apparent as the atmospheric elements are given as much sonic space as the drums and allowed to come to the fore.

While the non-percussion elements bring the music to life on a large scale, on a micro level the drums are dynamic in their own way. The liberally-applied distortion makes the sounds interact with each other; each drum hit is distorted differently depending on what other sounds are playing at the same time. While a one-bar drum pattern may be the same each time around, within the cycle the sounds breathe; each snare hit not quite like the one before or after. This keeps the tracks engaging. Especially in combination with their long-form structural flexibility.

This release is highly recommended for those into live jams, acid, and distorted electro. Preorders are sold out, but according to Trensmat some copies will be available through select shops early this month. Several of the tracks on the release and some unreleased ones can be heard at The 15 Dead Minutes’ SoundCloud page.

The 15 Dead Minutes – Scheming Things
release info

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The 15 Dead Minutes – The Runway
The 15 Dead Minutes – Children of the 303
The 15 Dead Minutes – Fibril
The 15 Dead Minutes – Internal Dialogue
The 15 Dead Minutes – MacReadys Tape* digital only
The 15 Dead Minutes – Mass* digital only
TR035